Have quilt, will travel: Blanket creator, friend take in Live Earth show

While many Americans were hoping that July 7 (7-7-07) would bring luck to their new marriages or new arrivals, Casey Ehrlich and Rachel Gianatasio were joining millions of others who hoped a little music and harmony could signal the dawning of a new, environmentally friendly world.

With press passes in hand, Ehrlich and Gianatasio, sophomores at Marblehead High School, were the only youth to get an up-close-and-personal view of the first-ever Live Earth concert, created in the hopes of triggering a movement to solve the climate crisis caused by global warming.

Live Earth was a 24-hour concert that ran simultaneously across seven continents, with concerts in Australia, South Africa, England and right here in New York. Kevin Wall, the executive producer of Live 8, a concert series to combat poverty, founded Live Earth in partnership with Al Gore and the Alliance for Climate Protection.

When word of the creation of the Live Earth concert surfaced, Ehrlich immediately knew she wanted to attend. She never imagined, however, that she and Gianatasio would get VIP treatment.

“When the concert was announced, I knew I wanted to go right away,” Ehrlich said. “Then my mom was able to get media passes for her blog, allowing us to view the concert from the ‘press bubble.’”

Ehrlich’s mother, Lori, founded the Web site www.truthandprogress.com, a participatory site that opens discussion to topics that effect today’s environment.

Learning that Ehrlich was going to share her good fortune with her, Gianatasio said she was excited on more than one level by the news.

“She asked me if I wanted to go on a trip to New York, and I was excited just learning that because I had never been to New York,” Gianatasio said. “Then she told me we would be going to Live Earth, and I couldn't believe it.”

The two, along with mom, made their way by train to Giants Stadium, which technically is located in New Jersey’s Meadowlands. The show featured Melissa Etheridge, Dave Matthews Band, John Mayer, Keith Urban and more than a dozen others. Renowned primatologist Jane Goodall also wowed the crowds with chimpanzee calls between sets.

Arriving at the “press bubble” (a fitting name, said Ehrlich, noting its "big white plastic bubble" shape), Ehrlich said the first thing the noticed was the heat.

“It was so hot, and the press bubble was not well air-conditioned,” Ehrlich said. “I think this was part of a strategy for conserving energy.”

In keeping with the event’s theme, Giants Stadium, along with the other venues, was set up to showcase energy-efficient technology.

“All the lighting was done with compact fluorescent light bulbs,” Ehrlich said. “The stage was also made out of recycled tires.”

Gianatasio added, “And they had different trash bins everywhere so that people could separate the different recyclables.”

As the concerts commenced, the girls began to reap the benefits of being deemed members of the press, getting free apparel and seeds for planting, and, most excitingly, found themselves about 10 feet from the various artists.

Though they didn’t get to ask their favorite band members questions, Gianatasio did slip one question in to American Idol judge Randy Jackson.

“I asked him if they were planning on doing anything for the environment after having done the ‘Idol Gives Back,’ show,” Gianatasio said. “I can’t totally remember what he said, but he did mention they were going to try to be more environment-friendly.”

Gianatasio said she was also excited to have equipment for the purposes of taking photos and video, noting that she would like to explore professional photography.

Though the excitement of being so close to the action was an experience in itself, the message behind the concert also hit home.

For Ehrlich, founder of “Blanket the Globe,” a project that invites children to voice their concerns about the environment through the creation of individualized quilt squares, the concert helped to drive home a message she has already tried to display on her own.

For Gianatasio, she felt the message made her all the more aware of the problem.

“It was a lot to absorb, and though I felt I was aware, I realized there are a lot of things you don’t notice,” Gianatasio said. “Like when I went back to the hotel that night and brushed my teeth, I normally would leave the water running while I brush, but I made sure to shut it off.”

Ehrlich said that all of the performing artists showed dedication to the cause, but some stuck out in her mind.

“KT Tunstall said that she was currently having her flat insulated with sheep’s wool, which I didn’t even know you could do,” Ehrlich said. “It was clear that all of the artists really cared about the environment though, because they all offered their talents for free to support the cause.”

Though she knows that some of the people in attendance were there more for the concert than the message, Ehrlich said she felt everyone left with something to think about.

“Even if they were there just for the music, they still had to stay for Al Gore’s speech, and hopefully they were able to take something away from that,” Ehrlich said.

For now, Ehrlich said she is going to redouble her own recycling efforts, and she hopes the older generations will keep the environment in mind when they head to the polls in 2008.

“Voting is the most important thing you can do,” Ehrlich said. “You need to vote for someone who you feel will make a difference.”